Alternative to Carriage Has Little Horsepower

The horse of the future could be an electric car with an “ah-ooga horn” and seating for eight.

Amid a pitched debate over the fate of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park, a potential successor, known as the “Horseless eCarriage,” debuted on Thursday at the New York International Auto Show.

After pledging during the campaign last year to eradicate horse carriages in New York City almost immediately after entering office, Mayor Bill de Blasio has since moderated his timeline, but not his stance, suggesting that the change might come by the end of the year.

An electric model like the eCarriage, which resembles the industrial spawn of a rickshaw and Thomas the Tank Engine, is viewed as a leading option for replacement.

The car was commissioned by the New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, known as NYClass, an anti-carriage group with ties to Mr. de Blasio. During the mayoral campaign, activists seeking to remove carriage horses from the streets contributed more than $1.3 million to help elect Mr. de Blasio and City Council members who supported replacing the horses.

“Once upon a time, I felt, oh, what a quaint, nice part of New York City,” Mr. de Blasio said on Thursday in a radio interview on Hot 97 (WQHT-FM). After researching the issue, he said, he concluded that horses were subject to improper conditions. “It’s just a matter of basic humanity and common sense,” he said.

Of course, there are those who say that the Central Park carriage rides were never romantic, that a visit to the city does not require a high-priced alternative to walking, imbued with the sensory intersection of clacking hooves and curbside droppings.

It is unclear how such skeptics would feel about the horse-drawn carriage’s potential replacement. The prototype cost about $450,000, according to NYClass, with an estimated cost of about $150,000 to $175,000 per unit to manufacture the vehicles more widely.

It has a top speed of 30 miles per hour, with a “gentle, controlled acceleration” for tourists who want to savor their surroundings. There is also an audio system in the front seat, with speakers, and two lamps where lit candles can be placed.

Image

Horse-drawn carriages wait for costumers on Central Park South in Manhattan on Thursday. Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he will ban the use of horse-drawn carriages in the city and replace them with electric carriages.CreditMichael Appleton for The New York Times

“There’s a lot more to what people like about this than the horses,” said Jason Wenig, the president and owner of The Creative Workshop, a Florida business that designed the vehicle.

Many defenders of the horses remain. Perhaps the most visible is the actor Liam Neeson, who has become the public face of a push to preserve the animals’ status.

The de Blasio administration also received a shot across the bow this week from the Central Park Conservancy. Its president and chief executive, Douglas Blonsky, has come out against the electric vehicles.

“Forty million people visit Central Park each year, including runners, bicyclists, kids and dog owners,” he told The Daily News, which has made preserving the horse carriages a cause of its own. “Adding vehicles to the mix will make the park less safe for all of them and increase congestion.”

At a news conference on Thursday on Staten Island, Mr. de Blasio was asked about the criticism. He attributed the opposition to “a misunderstanding of what’s being proposed.” He said the vehicles would take the same routes as horses do now, going “slow on purpose because they should go slow, and tourists want to see things.”

Near Columbus Circle in Manhattan on Thursday, carriage drivers emphasized that the horses, not merely the scenery, were part of the attraction.

Some drivers said the prospect of a ban had provided a short-term business boost, coaxing travelers to take a ride with the horses while they still can. But concerns over the possible ban have predominated, even as the de Blasio administration says it would “protect the livelihoods” of those who operate carriages.

“If you take the horse away, I have to go away,” said Aparicio Santana, 53, suggesting he might return to his native Brazil. “It’s tough to get a job in New York City.”

Michael M. Grynbaum contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A17 of the New York edition with the headline: Alternative to Carriage Has Little Horsepower. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe